# Digital democracy at #DigiScotFest14 It’s a sunny afternoon in Glasgow and I’ve just been told two brilliant pieces of news: 1. We have almost 200 delegates at [#DigiScotFest14](http://www.scvo.scot/events/digital-scotland-festival-2014/) 2. We will be hosting a round table discussion with the [Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy](https://twitter.com/digidemocracyuk) as part of the Festival There is a short blog from the Commission below, and the round table itself will take place at the end of the day, after the main Festival sessions close. Spaces are limited, so if you are interested in attending please drop us an email at [digital@scvo.scot](mailto:digital@scvo.scot) and we will get back to you early in w/c 9 June. * * * The Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon John Bercow MP announced the creation of the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy (DDC) in a speech to the Hansard Society in November 2013. The objective of this Commission is to consider, report and make recommendations on how parliamentary democracy in the United Kingdom can embrace the opportunities afforded by the digital world to become more effective in: * representing the people * making laws * scrutinising the work and performance of government * encouraging citizens to engage with democracy * facilitating dialogue amongst citizens The DDC also aims to consider the implications for Parliament if it is to become more relevant to the increasingly diverse population it seeks to serve. The DDC wants to hear the voices of people who have not historically been involved with Parliament and politics, as well as hearing the voices of those people with detailed knowledge of the House of Commons. Unlike a Select formal parliamentary committee, the DDC is willing to take evidence, ideas and information in any format and has not stipulated precise rules about submissions. Even our terms of reference were openly and publicly sourced. As a result of this, so far, we have had hundreds of unsolicited emails and phone calls, countless conversations via social media, taken face to face meetings with over 200 different experts, held roundtable discussion forums, conducted a youth-focused forum with Facebook, have Twitter followers in 14 different countries and we are planning a one-day policy seminar in July.   The Speaker has also written to the Vice Chancellor of every University in the UK, which has led to many offers of help, ideas and further contact with academics at the cutting edge of their specialism. We have run an on-line forum for politics students from nine Universities from across each nation in the UK, considering five separate themes, the results of which have been [published](http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/the-speaker/speakers-commission-on-digital-democracy/ddc-news/student-forum-workshop-hull/). We have considered and continue to look at what public participation means with a wide range of people and organisations, from the “tech” world and businesses. As part of the series of events being held by the DDC, to help us consider strategically what democracy might look like in a decade, while considering useful changes that could be or will be introduced in the short-term we will be hosting a roundtable at the Digital Scotland Festival on 16 June 2014.  One of our Commissioners, [Helen Milner](http://www.tinderfoundation.org/about/board/helen-milner), will be chairing the session which will be focusing on how people want to engage with and access information on parliament digitally and how information could be made more accessible for the public. The roundtable will provide an opportunity for participants to put across their thoughts and ideas which will be fed back to all the commissioners. For more information on the DDC please see our [website](http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/the-speaker/speakers-commission-on-digital-democracy/ddc-news/have-your-say-speakers-commission-on-digital-democracy-terms-of-reference/), you can also follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/digidemocracyuk), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/DigitalDemocracyCommissionUK) and [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Digital-Democracy-Commission-8112256). We hope to see you on 16 June! --- ## About SCVO SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector. Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact. SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector. Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners. Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities. SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience. Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org). For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)